Another thread so soon? This one's going to be about a classic argument, sex determination. There are five methods of sex determination and I'm going to go into depth on my arguments on why I state that sex is able to be determined in all cases. #intersex

As you know if you follow me, there are five factors in sex determination. I've briefly gone into this in other threads but this thread is dedicated entirely to dissecting this whole thing apart. You only need one, or two for 99.98% of people when they are born.

However we're going to talk about those who are "ambiguously sexed" like myself and that brings me to my next argument and point.

The five determination methods in question:
Karyotype, Presenting Genitalia, Gonads, Hormone Production, Internal Reproductive Structures.

Starting with Karyotype.
XX, XY. The point is, humans can only possibly have either a X and Y in their karyotype. However a Y monosomy isn't possible, at least not survivable anyways. The X also comes before the Y as well, but there's more to this particular determination.

It isn't as simple as having a Y, or having only Xs that'd be far too easy for more ambiguous cases. So there's something known as SRY [Sex Region Y] Which is a region on the Y chromosome that is normally necessary for testis development and male development as a whole.

//thread/

This was the very first experience I had in an LGBTQ social circle when I first openly came out as a lesbian at 18. I had just gone through a difficult breakup and was depressed and lonely for lesbian community, so I thought I would go to my university’s Pride Club.(1)

Pretty much all the members were female, with the exception of one gay man and one trans woman (who was 31). Not one single girl in the group identified as bi or lesbian, but rather several combinations of ‘queer’, ‘pansexual’, ‘genderfluid demisexual’, and ‘non binary’.(2)

We began by introducing ourselves and stating our preferred pronouns. I already felt super out of place but I went along with it anyway. When introducing myself as a lesbian, the head of the club kindly asked me to refer to myself as ‘queer’ or ‘gay’ so as to be inclusive of (3)

everyone’s identities. I apologized and agreed to the terms but it stirred up something inside me, pretty much the exact same feeling I had when I came out to my family and they refused to acknowledge or accept that I was a lesbian.(4)

The topics of discussion ranged from dating, gender expression, and the difficulties Victoria faced as a ‘trans lesbian’ and how so few people in her life would validate her identity. Victoria was showered with praise and support, and not one single person had any (5)

Hello friends! Freelance photojournalist and accidental labour organizer, @photobracken here to tell you just how not good it’s been for photographers *gestures broadly at everything* esp freelancers, and what we are doing about it over at @PhotojsUnited.

It’s no news to say the news industry is struggling, but bear with me while I attempt to summarize why photojournalism is especially in crisis–it’s an inherently risky job that’s getting riskier, and most of us are freelancers who are totally unrepresented in the labour market.

We are losing photojournalists and it's terrifying bc, to echo @kassijackson_, photojournalists ARE journalists. It’s a specialized skill set that’s not easily replaced. Our work connects to the human experience, is guided by ethics and grounded in fact.

Don't even get me started on the fact that every marketing plan for every news publication out there trying to survive depends largely on photography. We get clicks baby

There is also an existential crisis going on, as we collectively grapple with the colonial roots and under representation of BIPOC and women in this practice. I’m not diving into that necessary conversation here but,

The ongoing Lincoln Project story reminds me that I haven't met anyone in politics yet who really understands how journalism works and how to handle a bad story. The Winning FormulaTM is also the right thing to do, but it involves a lot of humility and relinquishing some control.

First, don't lie to reporters. Ever. Even if you fool one, another one will find you out. And there are a lot of people who naively think they will fool ALL the reporters. This is just arrogance.

Don't try to intimidate people you suspect might be sources. It gives them more of an incentive to be a source, and it usually has the opposite of your intended effect: it encourages other people to talk to reporters.

If you know something is going to break, tell the story yourself, truthfully. There's a line from some Chris Matthews book that is actually applicable (and he did not do): hang a lantern on your problems.

Don't get defensive. It makes you sound like you don't *really* think you did anything wrong.

The Missouri Democratic Party is holding its quarterly meeting on January 30. I wish I could invite you to it, but the Party is closing the meeting to the public.

I strongly oppose this lack of transparency, and I am exploring every avenue to fight back.

1/

I've been to every meeting since 2016, even those that required me to be on the road at 5 AM so I could make it for an hour and then get back on the campaign trail to ask my fellow Missourians to vote for Democrats. This will be the first one I miss; I'm not allowed to come.

2/

My position - and I believe the position of many of you - has been very clear: We need more, not less, transparency, in our government.

3/

That is especially true for the Missouri Democratic Party, an organization that has a poor reputation in many parts of our state, primarily, as I learned, because people are unfamiliar with what it stands for. At least, that's what I used to be able to say.

4/

I learned about this closed meeting while I was preparing to protect government transparency at the Missouri Supreme Court. I thought the Missouri Democratic Party supported that given how quickly the Party capitalized off of my work, often without attribution.

5/

Humanity is good, but, when we let our guard down we allow darkness to infiltrate and destroy.
Like past battles fought, we now face our greatest battle at present, a battle to save our Republic, our way of life, and what we decide (each of us) now will decide our future.

1.
WoLF submitted an excellent brief defending women’s rights under Title IX👇👇:

"Plaintiffs ask the Court to proclaim that women & girls are no longer a discrete category worthy of civil rights protection, but men and boys who claim to have a female ‘gender identity’ they are”

2.

If the Court rules in their favor, it will mark a truly fundamental shift in American law and policy that strips women of their Constitutional right to privacy, threatens their physical safety, undercuts the means by which women can achieve educational equality, and

3.

[...] ultimately works to erase women and girls under the law. It would not only revoke the very rights and protections that specifically secure women’s access to school athletics, but would do so in order to extend those rights and protections to men claiming to be women."

4.

"Women and girls are thus protected under the law from subjective beliefs about whether and how women should work, vote, have children or not have children, and how they ought to look and behave.

5. U.S. civil rights law recognizes the need to protect people from the subjective beliefs of others, including subjective beliefs founded on sex- stereotypes. ...In stark contrast, being ‘transgender’ depends on the continued existence of sex-stereotypes.”

It was some days to Christmas and as a TEAM, they had just finished an intervention for a brother. He was still mulling over certain revelations from the prayers when his wife got a call.

It was from a colleague who was in distress and was crying over the phone in confusion.

"They just chased me out of the house I was staying...again".

The young lady had a history of rejection wherever she went to and even when she got a job, she was so surprised because she was rejected everywhere.

It was in her place of employment she met his wife.

His wife quickly gave him a breakdown and he told her "Let her come to the house in the morning".

By 7:30AM, she was in the house.

Immediately he saw her, he asked her "How old are you?"

"26" she responded.

She actually looked 40. Her responses didn't alarm him.

He understood certain spiritual realities and hers was one of such. It was evident, there was another occupant in her.

She went on and on about her circumstance which led to him asking her a question:

"Are you Born Again?"

"I attend church and I have Pastors I go to..."

"...who pray with me and give me prayer points". She said.

"So you have not given your life to Christ" he asked trying to ensure she understood the question

"No" she responded quietly.

"Stand on your feet, and join hands with my wife and repeat after me" I said.

731 days ago I set out a goal that I had no way of knowing it would go this far. No real reason to even do it, other than to expand my learning capabilities. I started using Duolingo to learn Spanish. 15-45 minutes per day, everyday for 2 years straight. Every morning.

You may ask yourself what is the significance of that? Well, I wasn't awake at that time & I was re-learning life as I had been a criminal & drug addict who had only completed his sentence 1½ years earlier. Everything I did was without God. Then something changed while in jail.

I began to pray about 90 days in.

That was the day I was no longer a drug addict. Ya see, I was still planning on getting high & wanting the prescription drugs. Until that fateful night when I prayed. Like magic, I stopped thinking about getting high. A year later, I'm about to

Be released in 2-3 months & I decide to start working out. I was 280 lbs about 4 years earlier and lost that weight due to a physical job & cutting out sugar. But never worked out & at this moment I started to work out. A small goal that I would tell everyone was what God wanted

Me to do. So, I did it. Little by little I started carving out a muscular physique & lost all the soft, doughy parts. Then comes along Spanish less than 2 years later. Another small goal of just take it little by little. No end in sight. I just want to see how good I can do.

The Horn-Locking Exercise: State Governors versus Herdsmen

The dangerous insecurity experienced nationwide got to a head in Ondo State with a vacation order from the government to all illegal occupiers of the State's forest reserve areas.

#EndInsecurity
@edobong_akpabio

Ondo State has been in the news for months now for the high rate of kidnapping, armed robbery, murder and callous attacks on citizens travelling on the highways, in broad daylight, by criminals hiding in the bushes and forest reserves and suspected to be herdsmen.
#EndInsecurity

The story is the same all over the country - brazen criminals, masquerading as herdsmen attacking, maiming and killing innocent people, even razing down whole communities with impunity. Farmers have been some of the hardest hit, with loss of lives and property.
#EndInsecurity

Some of the scenario described by the farmers include; farms invaded/crops destroyed and farmers kidnapped/murdered/injured in unprovoked attacks by the criminals; crops harvested illegally to feed their cattle, farms razed in arson attacks, ambush attacks, etc.
#EndInsecurity

Today, there are terrorists in the NE; bandits in the NW; kidnappers-for-ransom on the highways; & criminal herdsmen (+ others) attacking the rest of the country. In most cases, the criminals are alleged to be herdsmen of Fulani extraction, carrying AK-47 rifles.
#EndInsecurity

The stunning announcement of >$6B in philanthropic donations in one year by @mackenziescott deserves wider

Fine piece by @nkulish in the @nytimes that addresses some of the key

But this should be just the start.

Important first to put the $6B total in context. Total grantmaking in 2019 by @darrenwalker at the @FordFoundation was ~$350M. Total at @Hewlett_Found was ~$450M.

So @mackenziescott is ~15x some of the largest and most discussed foundations.

To the best of my knowledge, what we know about her philanthropy stems from a total of two posts on @Medium.

No address. No website. No known staff. We don't even know much about the entities she's using -- DAFs, LLCs, private

What's interesting about her philanthropy?

*Proves it's not that difficult to give away a billion dollars.
*No strings attached giving - all general operating support over multiple years
*No reporting requirements, AFAIK

This thread is for all the #girls still in dilemma if they should go on protest or not. YOU MUST. We are celebrating Women Farmer’s day at all protest sites- Singhu, Tikri & other 6 on 18th Jan and your presence is must.
Allow me to give you first hand guide to this protest

I have been here since Dec and I came alone by train. Got down at Bahadurgarh Rly station, took auto for 20/- and reached Tikri Border. At the station itself you will find people in large numbers moving to protest site and that would be enough energy to survive for next few days

For shelter, you can go to Khalsa aid or others too, there will be a lot of choice and you don’t have to worry about absolutely anything. For food, I mean it’s all over the news. You might have to control yourself around so many langars with such delicacies🥺

Sanitation is still a challenge but manageable. More washrooms are being added everyday but you have to wait in mornings. Period products are available and medical camps are put up on 150-200m distance. Doctors are available in their vans and hospital has also been setup.🤗

Women are given preference everywhere in the protest! (Yay)
You don’t have to join long lines of Langar. The babas won’t let you wait, they will call you the moment they see you and give you food. The men in long lines won’t be able to do anything about it. You will feel happy😀

Before the civil rights era, ALL presidential administrations in this country were both white supremacist and white nationalist. In the "modern" era, mainstream politicians learned to performatively eschew white nationalism and embrace what I call "rainbow white supremacy".

Some precisions might be helpful. White nationalism claims this country exists for the benefit of white people -- it's the legalization of white political power. White supremacy is closely tied to white nationalism, but is a broader assertion of white superiority and dominance.

From 1776 through the 1960s (roughly 200 years), the U.S. was an explicitly white nationalist and white supremacist society. After the 60s, many politicians abandoned overtly white nationalist rhetoric without redressing or dismantling centuries of white nationalist policies.

The most important thing to understand is that literally nothing was ever done by our political leadership during or after the civil rights movement to systematically uproot and dismantle the ideologies of white nationalism and white supremacy.

Instead, civil rights legislation and rhetoric were co-opted to *disregard* the white nationalist past and to *ignore* - or worse - *deny* the white supremacist present. (Cue the Bakke decision + every MLK quote used to undermine antiracist activism in the name of colorblindness)

If Migration is part of your plans for 2021.

Follow this thread carefully-

7 countries you can easily move to:

NORWAY 🇳🇴

NEW ZEALAND🇳🇿

SWEDEN 🇸🇪

FINLAND 🇫🇮

On late Tunde Thomas #DNAtest & the MD, FCMB Adam Nuru, paternity fraud, let me share a story from one of my private investigations.

Mr Balogun (not real name) was married to Mrs Kemi (not real name) for 33 years. none of the 4 children from that marriage belongs to Balogun. 💔

According to Mr Balogun, he met Kemi, while she was serving (NYSC) they dated briefly, & got married. He was already successful at a very young age, why Kemi was trying to find her feet. He gave her everything any woman could dream of having. A good life, & a good home.

Unknown to Balogun, while Kemi was serving, she dated him, alongside one poor dude. She had Balogun, as the money bag or MUGU, why the Poor Boy as her true love. When she became pregnant, Balogun proposed, & married her. But Kemi kept on with that relationship, outside matrimony.

Just to have unhindered access to her true Love, Kemi lied to Balogun that the poor dude (Uncle Shola) was a family member, from her late mum's family. That being the only child of her late mum, since after her death, it is only Uncle Shola, that has been in touch & helps to her.

That lie from Kemi, made Balogun to love Uncle Shola even more. For being there for his wife, when she had no one to help. He gave uncle Shola unhindered access to his house 24/7. Calling him in-law. The two love birds comport themselves properly, whenever someone is around.

Ok, time to talk about my psychiatrist experience.
For the course of approx 12 months from mid 2018 to mid 2019, I was abused and mistreated by a psychiatrist who is considered to be one of the main 'experts' in Adult ADHD in Melbourne.

I shrugged off my concerns initially because I was so happy to finally be treated and medicated for my ADHD. In my first appointment, he pressured me to let me Mum join the appointment even though she was only there because she gave me a lift.

he directed almost of the questions in that first appointment. I barely got a word in. Within 45 minutes, after a series of very leading questions asked to my Mum (not to me), he had diagnosed me with two serious mental illnesses and written me several scripts.

every appointment after that, I walked out with at least two new scripts. I didn't fill most of them because I was uncomfortable with the pace at which he was changing my meds and adding new ones.

He never actually listened to my concerns about my meds, and he was very blunt and unhelpful with his general advice. He talked down to me like I was a child, cut me off while I was speaking, and after a few appointments he took to directly insulting my intelligence.

Attacks on Lockdown sceptics – and me in particular – have ratcheted up recently, with one of the most aggressive critics being the Conservative MP @NeilDotObrien. I thought it was time to compose a reply.

On Monday he wrote a piece for @ConHome entitled "Trumpism in Britain. It’s time to call out those in the media who cynically feed the cranks, rioters and conspiracists".